Out of Sight, Out of Mind
by Izzychase
Summary: In the episode Out of Sight, Out of Mind in the first season of BtVS, what might have happened if Cordelia went to Angel instead for help? Out of Sight, Out of Mind AU Story with eventual CA.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Out of Sight and Out of Mind  
**Author: **Linqtothepast and Tactless Bruenette  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Category: **Drama  
**Content: **C/A  
**Summary: **In the episode entitled "Out of Sight and Out of Mind" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season, what if Buffy didn't believe Cordelia and Cordelia was forced to ask Angel for help?  
**Spoilers: **BtVS season 1  
**Disclaimer: **The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.  
**Distribution: **AO and NF. Elsewhere, Just ask.  
**Notes: **This AU version of the episode has a characterization of Angel who is more independent of Buffy and willing to follow his own conscience.  
**Feedback: **Yes, please. It will help the fic get out faster.  
**Thanks/Dedication: **Uber Mucho thanks to Cordelia'sDestiny and Califi for the beta and suggestions!

**Part 1**

For the first time in a really long while, Cordelia Chase had entered the Bronze afraid. The last time she had been afraid entering the only teen club in Sunnydale was when she didn't know what her Cordettes were wearing to the Spring Dance. This time, the fear was different.

Cordelia Chase was no coward. She could face bad hairstyles, people with no sense of fashion, and people who needed advice on picking out the right pair of stilettos; but she had no idea of how to stop a stalker, especially a stalker that targeted her friends with the  
intention of getting close to her. This was something beyond her league. This was beyond clashing colors, beyond picking out the perfect accessories for every outfit she pulled out of her walk-in closet, and beyond anything that Cordelia had faced before now.

For a girl who hardly needed anybody to stand on her own, she needed help. And the only person she knew capable of doing so was Buffy Summers.

As a matter of habit, she gave her luxuriously straight and silky dark brown hair on last pat and approached the table where she knew the three friends would be sitting. She made her way through with her usual Queen C finesse, her stilettos clicking across the club's floor. Cordelia's sharp hazel eyes picked out a fourth occupant of the table and recognized him as the young man she had labeled 'Salty Goodness' the last time she saw him at the Bronze when he was looking for Buffy.

Well, well, well, something good might come out of this encounter.

The beautiful brunette fixed her facial expression before completely walking up to Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, and Buffy Summers. They were sitting around a tiny round table, nursing their drinks and eyeing the dance floor, clearly enjoying each other's company. Cordelia had no use for tact in her life, preferring to tell everything just the way it was, but she was the victim here, not the aggressor. She desperately needed Buffy's help. Cordelia decided to save the doe-eyed look for the well-built and handsome young man sitting beside Buffy. All right, so he could use a little tan, but he still clearly deserved his 'Salty Goodness' title. She decided not to go for the "We're just old buddies and now I need your help" technique, but she did arrange her facial expression to not appear too haughty.

Buffy Summers watched the tall brunette approach their table carefully, almost as if she was afraid of being followed. She wondered what Cordelia Chase, resident queen bitch of Sunnydale High, was doing in this corner of the Bronze, but she figured it was probably to exchange scalding remarks with Xander. Whatever. Tonight was just a night to chill out for the Slayer; she was surrounded by her best friends and Angel, and even if the Bronze wasn't the happening place right now, Buffy was content.

Beside her, Willow watched Cordelia approach their table with curiosity. She knew that the tall brunette wasn't one just to drop by and say hi, but judging from the look on her  
face, it looked like Cordelia would need their help. Willow had never really liked the tactless and sometimes snarky brunette, but she was new to the business of slaying  
vampires and ridding the Hellmouth of evil, too. She tried not to imagine the satisfaction of watching Buffy stake a vampire version of Cordy.

Cordelia noticed that besides the hunk sitting beside Buffy, all the other occupants of the table were watching her approach with apprehension. She gave her head a regal Queen C toss, willing herself to get over the initial nervousness and to set up her emotional walls of defense. Little did the three Scoobies know that beneath Cordelia's cold exterior, there lay a vulnerable teenager inside. Shatter the walls of ice she set up around her, and  
you would shatter the teen inside.

"Okay," she blew out a breath nervously, "What I'm about to say may shock you, but don't ever expect me to say it again." She stood there for a while taking deep breaths,  
trying to think of a way to make her words sound a little less helpless.

"Come on, Cordelia," Xander said in an exasperated tone, "We don't have all night."

'Not to spend with you, anyway,' he thought, shooting a jealous look at Angel. He still didn't understand why Buffy had to bring Angel tonight. Dead Boy was a creature of the  
night. He should be out doing something creature of the night-ish, not chilling with a bunch of teens over an espresso.

"Okay..."

"Well?" asked Buffy, mentally readying herself just in case Cordelia decided to sneak in a snide remark. Buffy looked at her closely, trying to pull off 'intimidating', and to her  
surprise, it was strangely working.

"I need your help."

" What's wrong, Cor? The Visa maxed out?" Willow elbowed Xander in the ribs, although she couldn't help but think it was a funny comment. "Ow!"

"Now why would I help you?" she asked the girl who was currently trying to avoid making eyes at her boyfriend. 'Okay, so he's not my BOYFRIEND, but he's close to it.', Buffy thought with satisfaction, before forcing herself to focus on the issue at hand.

"Well, you see, these weird things have been happening. Harmony! She fell down the stairs. Well, not fell. Someone-something pushed her."

"Okay, Harmony fell down the stairs. So what? That's not paranormal activity, Cordelia, that's gravity."

Cordelia looked a little deflated, so she threw her a bone. "Why would you think I could help you in the first place?"

"I was actually, kind of, hoping you were in a gang."

"A gang?" Buffy was starting to regret that bone. "Okay. Well, I think I've heard all I need to. Sorry, no can do. "

By now, the Slayer had heard enough. First, she was almost late to the Bronze due to vampire slayage, there were piles of trigonometry homework waiting before the midterm next week, Angel was as quiet and unreadable as ever, and now Cordelia thought she was in a gang. She was almost about to push herself off the stool to go to the washroom when Cordelia said something else.

"Wait! There's more." Cordelia exclaimed. "My friend Mitch, he was attacked in the boys' locker room all by himself after practice. He's in the hospital right now and he told me he never saw his attacker. He was in the room by himself and he said something kept hitting him with a baseball bat."

"Cordelia, like I said, no can do." Buffy said firmly. Cordelia was probably up to her attention-grabbing techniques as usual.

"I," Cordelia started, and then she changed her mind," On second thought, no. I refuse to beg," and with that, she turned on her heel and left, heading back to her circle of so-called friends, the Cordettes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Out of Sight, Out of Mind 2/?**

Title: Out of Sight, Out of Mind: 2/?  
Author: Izzychase  
Email:   
Rating: PG for now  
Category: fluffy/drama/romance/AU  
Content: C/A- duh! Slight B/A discussed, but don't worry, it's not a lot.  
Summary: What would happen if Angel decided to help Cordelia in "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" and Buffy refused to?  
Spoilers: None, the ep aired over six years ago.  
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made. In short, as much as I dislike Joss, I am but a guest in his mansion. David Greenwalt is awesome though!  
Distribution: NF and anyone else who asks.   
Notes: I enjoyed writing this part, mainly because I got to explore the deep friendship of C/A, which is what I think is fundamental to their relationship. Oh, and Cali, thanks for all the wonderful beta work you did on this! hugs Oh, and **DaughterofCokie**, thanks for the encouragement you've left on all of my fics! It is appreciated This chapter is for you.  
Feedback: We want to know what you think, so kindly spare a minute or two and review!

The four occupants of the round table watched Cordelia Chase leave in silence. For the first time, Angel spoke.

"Buffy, she really needed your help. That was petty."

He had been watching the beautiful brunette approach their table. He could smell the fear emanating from her in waves, despite the nonchalant attitude she adopted. He could also smell the scent of the shampoo she used: cinnamon and apples, the light aroma of the perfume that she wore, and finally, the natural essence of Cordelia Chase. It was an intoxicating and delicious mixture. He also appreciated her breathtaking beauty: the dark mahogany brown hair that flowed silkily down her back like a waterfall, with its hazel highlights gleaming under the lights, her tanned skin and bronzed long legs shown off in the short black skirt she wore with a matching dark red top that displayed her curvaceous assets, also her painted toenails in their classy black stiletto heels. Angelus, the darker demon within him found her absolutely amazing to look at, and that had drawn the soul within Angel to sit up and take notice of this lovely brunette. Like others, on the outside he saw a brash beautiful teenager -- but unlike them, he saw beneath to the innocent girl hiding inside. He saw a girl trying to be brave in difficult circumstances, a girl needing their help- and he had no doubt that she was telling the truth. While Buffy and Xander had been busy blowing her off with their snide remarks, he'd been closely watching her body language – the unconscious twisting of some of the rings on her fingers, and nervous hazel eyes dart from one Scooby to another, silently begging them to believe her.

"Angel, this _is_ Cordelia we're talking about. She's a self-centered, arrogant ditz." The blonde Slayer protested defensively, unable to believe that Angel would take the girl's side.

"She needs your help. Someone or something is threatening her. That someone or something has already attacked one of her friends and then pushed another down the stairs in the same day." Angel replied firmly, his dark eyes boring into the Slayer's. He usually admired her, but this pettinessy was causing him to rethink his initial opinion.

"Maybe Cordelia's telling the truth," Willow offered, not wanting Angel and Buffy to get into a fight over Cordelia, of all people, after what they had gone through together so far.

_Maybe you just need to grow a brain,_ Angelus screamed within. Angel ignored his soulless counterpart's reaction. and hot demand that he rush out after Cordelia and find out who or what dared to go after the beautiful brunette- and then claim her as his. Angel mistrusted Angelus' true intentions, but perhaps his soulless counterpart had a point. except for the 'claiming'. It would be a hell of a lot more productive than just sitting here, arguing with Buffy. With that thought uppermost in his mind The vampire wordlessly stood up, and left the table, leaving the three friends sitting there in shock.

"I wonder what Dead Boy's deal is?," Xander wondered aloud, watching the brooding vampire walk off in search of Cordelia – and secretly glad he'd gone.

"I don't know." Buffy confessed. "This isn't really a side of him I've seen before." She wasn't used to the mostly silent Vampire questioning her decisions.

Cordelia angrily walked to the washroom to the rear of the Bronze, needing some time to cool off and think of another plan, her stiletto heels clacking across the floor. She was hurt that they thought she was a liar; she was surprisingly hurt by the skeptical and amused looks Buffy and Xander had exchanged, and worse of all, she was angry at herself for appearing vulnerable and weak. It definitely wasn't Queen C style. Maybe approaching them hadn't been such a good idea after all.

That was what happened when you let your guard down and trusted people: you end up getting hurt. Pushing open the door of the washroom, Cordelia approached the mirror. One of her Cordettes was there fixing her hair, but the brunette was in no mood to engage in vapid, shallow conversation. Instead, she washed her hands slowly in the sink, allowing the warm water to flow over her skin and calm her nerves down. She looked up in the mirror, gazing at her reflection critically: and saw a frightened young woman staring back at her. This was really starting to creep her out. She recalled visiting Mitch at the hospital, who'd been grimacing in visible pain, his face all bruised from the attack, and his fear had been palpable as he described the events that day – how he hadn't seen his atacker. As far as he Mitch was concerned, he'd been alone in the Locker Room. He had said it was like his attacker was invisible. or something.

Cordelia shuddered, looking around her as if at any moment she expected someone to jump out and start hitting _her_ with a baseball bat, before mentally scolding herself for being silly. She was after all, surrounded by people; she was safe in a crowd.

Pushing the door open, she was very surprised to see Salty Goodness leaning against the wall opposite, looking gorgeous in his long, black jacket and a dark blue shirt that hinted at a muscular chest and a washboard stomach. He had been waiting for her to come out.

"It's you." Cordelia said the first thing that came to mind. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Angel hadn't really expected to walk away from Buffy, either. Angelus' taunts of him being Slayer-whipped, saying how that he was letting a perfect opportunity slip by, had motivated the vampire's actions; and had then used his supernatural senses to track Cordelia down. Now that he was standing directly in front of her, Angel found himself at a loss for words.

"I want to help you." He said the first words that came to his mind. 

Cordelia stared back into those dark brown eyes, unable to believe that he would be the one who might actually care about her problem. She gave a nervous little laugh and asked him straight out,

"You don't even know me. I don't even know your name. Why would you help me when even the people who know me don't even care?"

"I care, Cordelia. And the name is Angel." He replied a little too tersely, annoyed that she was so quick to distrust him. He almost growled at her suspicious tone. – reminding himself of the vulnerability behind her sharp words. This realization calmed him down. What she needed right now was a friend, not another hostile stranger.

"You care?" Cordelia repeated his words, touched by the way Angel had sounded so sure and sincere. No one had ever said anything like that to her, except Anita, who had done more work in raising her than either of her parents. The Cordettes had never shown that they really cared about her for who she really was, and the Little Detective Club sitting over there certainly hadn't. She gave a little smile that didn't go unnoticed by the vampire, who found himself imagining how beautiful her perfect face would look in a grin.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" Angel asked a little awkwardly. "We can… um… go get a coffee at the bar and you can tell me what happened to your friends."

Angel was amazed at his forwardness. After so many years of avoiding contact with humans- until he had seen the Slayer in L.A., he was surprised at just how casually he'd suggested to one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his whole 242 years of existence that they get coffee. He had to remind himself that she needed his help- not a come-on.

"Sure." Cordelia graced Angel with a stunningly sweet smile. He was just so, nice. He hadn't made any snarky comments, nor had he expressed disbelief at her story, and he hadn't laughed in her face. Best of all he'd even offered to help her with her paranormal problem over coffee.

"This way," Angel jerked his head in the direction of the bar where they served the non-alcoholic drinks and let her proceed ahead before following her. The smell of fear that emanated over her was starting to wane, and he couldn't help but notice the way her hips sashayed unconsciously as she walked. They reached the counter and he ordered drinks.

"Let's talk when we sit down," Cordelia suggested, not comfortable with discussing unusual paranormal activity in front of complete strangers. They waited in companionable silence until the drinks arrived. She noticed that Angel drank straight black coffee, but he had been thoughtful enough to order her an espresso. Cordelia picked up the hot drink and led the way to a cozy, unoccupied couch in the corner- out of sight from where Buffy and her friends were sitting. She doubted Buffy would be thrilled with the idea of her and Angel being together – never mind having coffee.

"You mentioned that two of your friends were attacked?" Angel asked as they sat down on the couch together. He sipped some of his coffee and waited for her reply. again amazed at the way he could consume human liquids and foods so naturally when he was with the pretty brunette.

Cordelia again explained the strange and upsetting events, this time describing them in vivid detail, as the pale Vampire leaned forward to listen intently. He was surprised by Cordelia's clear recollection and sharp observations (even if she was describing Harmony's outfit, which wasn't really that relevant), but then again, everything that had happened ever since she came out from the bathroom had been unexpected. He allowed himself to gaze openly at her while she was relating her tale, quietly appreciating her beauty whilst still listening with concentration.

"I knew something weird was going on when Harmony fell down the stairs. I mean; hello, she's not a klutz and no one at Sunnydale High would try to push her down the stairs,no matter how much of a pain she is." Cordelia finished her tale with that last comment, which drew a smile from Angel. She noticed his amused smile, which made him look even more gorgeous, and she knew that she was right in naming him Salty Goodness.

"This _is_ Sunnydale, however. Weird things tend to happen here." Cordelia shrugged. "Maybe that should be our town's welcoming tourist motto: Welcome to Sunnydale! Not-So-Wonderfully-Weird!"

So she knew about Sunnydale's paranormal activity? Angel wondered if she also knew about vampires. He wondered how she'd take it if he divulged his own status. He was afraid that once she learned of his true status, she would never allow him to help her. For some reason, that thought was unbearable to his mind. Even though he had only talked to her for about twenty minutes, he liked the feelings of companionship that they had. It was easier to talk to her than with Buffy, and he liked the jokes that she made, even if they were a little devoid of tact. He liked the way they could talk casually, even though he was used to having long gaps of silence with Buffy. Talking with Cordelia felt so normal, so casual, and so- human.

"Who do _you_ think it is happening?" He asked instead, wanting to know just how aware she was of the goings on in Sunnydale. He figured that the more openminded she was, the better the opportunity would eventually be for him to tell her about his true nature.

"I honestly don't know." Cordelia admitted , staring at her painted fingernails. This was the part she truly hated about these attacks. She knew that she was often tactless and spoke her mind, and this probably offended some people, but who would hate her so much that they were so determined to make her suffer? She shuddered to think that some people's minds were just so twisted by hatred that even a slight would be remembered by them and kept as a grudge. "I'm pretty and popular, but people hate the way I tell the truth straight out and I know I'm a little sarcastic, but who would hate me so much that they want to attack my friends?"

"Can you think of anyone?" Angel asked, staring closely at her. "Anyone you may have offended lately; someone who might have a grudge?"

"No." She replied. "I make comments about people, but they're superficial comments that can be easily forgotten. People don't generally hold grudges against me: they usually just glare or throw a comeback to my face."

Cordelia was suddenly very tired. It had been a long day, with school, and visiting Mitch in the hospital, and finally, going to the Bronze. She wanted to go back to her house, even though it was empty with her parents away on a business trip, and curl up in her comfy bed and just sleep.

"Angel, can we do this tomorrow? I'm really tired. Maybe after I sleep I can come up with some concrete names." She suggested to him, putting down her mug and standing up to stretch and yawn.

"Of course," Angel said a little awkwardly. After all, he hadn't really expected to sit up this late, spending the evening with this pretty yet tactless brunette. He added smoothly on impulse, "I'll walk you home. It's getting late."

"It's okay -I drove here." Cordelia flashed him a grin.

"I'll walk you to your car then." He grinned back, feeling completely at ease with her. He stood up, and they both walked out the exit, with him pulling the door open for her. They were barely several steps out of the Bronze when a figure appeared, in full game face.

"I knew it was worth the wait." The figure said, licked his lips and smiled in anticipation. He ran his tongue over his fangs in delight.

Cordelia froze in fear at Angel's side.

Instinctively, Angel went into his game face, snarling as his own features shifted and morphed. He reacted quickly, grabbing the other vampire and slamming him against the outdoor wall of the Bronze. Cordelia winced as the vampire hit the wall with a resounding bang, but before either of them could react, Angel had already whipped a stake out of his pocket and slammed it into the vampire's heart, ending its brief existence into a pile of dust. He whirled his face back towards Cordelia, and inwardly cursed as he saw Cordelia's face contort in fear, now that she really saw who he was.

Allowing his features to shift back into their human form, he wondered if she would now trust him with her problem. Seeing the look on her face, it didn't look likely.

"Was that a vampire?" Cordelia asked incredulously. "And you killed it? With a stake? Is that what Buffy does with all those weapons of hers? And you are a vampire too?"

Realizing the implications of her words, she backed up a step in terror. Her world came crashing down upon her, with a kaleidoscope of images: the people whom she thought she could trust had rejected her, her friends attacked, and the one person who was willing to help her wasn't human.

"Cordelia," Angel said softly, taking a step near her. "Please…"

"You never told me." Cordelia whispered as she backed up another step. "We were talking the whole time, and you never told me. God, you probably didn't even care! Were you just pretending to listen so you could lure me out here so I could be a snack? I trusted you, Angel."

The words pierced into him like thousands of shards of ice, but he still managed to keep the soft soothing tone.

"You still can, Cordelia. Please believe me when I say I was waiting for the right opportunity…"

"To what? Snack?" Queen C was back, and she was angry.

"No, to tell you that I am a vampire, but I'm a good one. I have a soul." He explained. "I would never hurt you."

"So say the abusive parents who then proceed to beat the crap out of their kids," She snapped. The pained look in his eyes stopped her from saying anything further, so her tone was weary. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to lose the trust and friendship we were beginning to have." Angel said softly, closing the gap between them. He stared deeply into her hazel eyes with his own dark brown ones, meaning every single word he had uttered. "I wanted to tell you at the right place and at the right time, once I knew you could accept the truth."

Cordelia's head spun. Did he just use the word friendship? They were becoming friends? The idea was not unpleasant to her, in fact she enjoyed that possibility, but it hadn't changed the fact that he had held something back.

"Just don't keep things from me again, Angel. Do you promise?" She asked, looking into those dark chocolate irises. His words seemed sincere, and no one had looked into her eyes with such honesty in a very long while. "From now on, as friends, we don't keep anything back."

"I promise." He swore solemnly, and was surprised when Cordelia suddenly collapsed into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. She felt warm in his arms, and he automatically wrapped his own arms around her tiny waist. Without thinking, he pressed a light kiss against her forehead. "I promise to tell you the truth from now on."

The two clung to each other on the cold pavement that cloudless night, finding solace, comfort, and the beginnings of friendship in each others' arms, as old lines were erased, re-evaluations of former judgments were made, and a new friendship was explored.

End of Part Two.

TBC.


End file.
